Chapter 23

„Why exactly are you applying for a job here, why this business?" Andromeda asked.

„Because I think enchanted mirrors that are capable of making calls, and even show films like a television, will be the next great thing, even greater than the firebolts. And I would like to be a part of that."

Penelope's answer was satisfying, and Andromeda nodded appreciatively.

Andromeda wanted to continue and ask her next question, but she got interrupted.

„Tell us about your family." Narcissa spoke up with a sickly sweet smile.

Penelope looked down embarrassed, clenching her fists in indignation.

„Cissy!" Andromeda admonished her little sister in a sharp tone, reflexively using Narcissa's familiar old nickname.

Before this could develop into another full-blown sister quarrel, Draco stepped in, „No family disputes in public, please."

Fortunately, with the lady-like upbringing of the two Black sisters, one reminder was enough, and they both fell silent.

Draco addressed Penelope next, „No need to be shy. Please, do tell us about your family situation."

Penelope had already let out a sigh of relief, but from one second to the next she was sitting on pins and needles again.

Andromeda and Ted gave Draco a disappointed look.

Narcissa looked at him proudly.

Penelope thought about lying, but a job wasn't worth that, „My father has an electronics store. My mother is a house wife, she also helps out in the store from time to time."

Penelope thought her interview was over now, and made to get up.

„Does your father's store sell T.V.s, VCRs and video tapes?"

The intimate knowledge of the muggle world, that Draco proved to have with his question, really astonished Penelope and made her sit down again.

To answer his question, she only managed a slow nod.

„And have you helped out in your father's store too?" Draco inquired.

„Yes, sometimes." Penelope confirmed in a small voice.

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„Good. Then you already have some experience with that. If you don't qualify for the enchantment team, maybe there is a place in sales or logistics for you. We will have to see how you do." Draco smiled his good-looking friendly smile again.

Speechlessly, Narcissa looked at Draco as if he had grown a second head, she had thought Draco inviting all the riffraff in the news article had at most been a ploy to attract publicity...

Now it was the Tonks couple's turn to smile, Ted relieved, and Andromeda even a little proudly.

But their smiles were nothing against the sunshine in Penelope's face, „Yes! Thank you so much!"

„Don't celebrate too early, you only passed the preliminary interview, that doesn't mean you're hired yet."

„Yes, I understand. What do I have to do?" Penelope's elation and excitement didn't seem to decrease at all.

„The next round of interviews will begin after the first screening of the applicants is done. Since it's impossible to tell when that's going to be with all the people outside, my house elf Kreacher will hand you one of our handheld mirrors, which will be used to notify you when the second round of the interviews start. In the meantime you can either stay in the village or even go back home or wherever, as long as you don't need longer than half an hour to arrive back here. Please note that the magical mirror is only on loan, and you have to give it back when the second round of the interview starts. Only the people who actually get hired at the end, can keep their mirrors."

Draco smiled at Penelope, and gestured to Kreacher.

Penelope was very enthusiastic and couldn't stop thanking them as she stood up and left the table.

When Penelope was out of earshot, Narcissa started complaining. „So you are not only considering hiring this... ‚this person', but you are also giving her one of your mirrors, just like this, for free? What if she steals its secrets? Or uses her job here later to do it?"

„Don't be ridiculous, the girl is as likely to do that as everyone else. And it's not as if we would take something like that lying down." Andromeda said.

„But others wouldn't give our secrets to the low-born and the muggles." Narcissa argued.

„No, instead of replicating it for cheap and selling low quality copies for low profits, ‚others' would just build up their own quality business, competing with this one, which would be much more damaging." Andromeda refuted.

Narcissa didn't seem to have a good response to that, and Draco wasn't inclined to get into this now and provide the right one.

Riding high from winning the argument against her obnoxious sister, Andromeda expounded further. „At some point, sooner or later, someone probably will manage to copy the enchantment, or put one together that works in a similar fashion. We will just have to deal with it when that time comes. It's not like we can keep watch over every single person that buys one of the mirrors." Andomeda chuckled at the absurdity.

Luckily, she meant it as a joke, Draco had almost felt like he had been caught red-handed.

It was probably the right decision, that Draco was keeping the fact to himself, that he was actually doing that.

„On another note, is it really a good idea to give the applicants mirrors for free, without any collateral, and expect them to bring them back to the next round? What if some applicants decide to forgo the second part of the interview, and just keep their mirrors? It would be a total loss." Ted chipped in.

Apparently, he was already concerned for the business, Draco noted happily.

What made Draco even happier was that he had changed the topic.

„How they handle their mirrors, it's a test. And in case there is really someone so foolish to try and steal them, the mirrors, that are being handed out today, all have a tracking charm cast on them."

Draco wasn't even lying there.

In case someone checked later, there was really an external and temporal tracking charm cast on them, outside of the inner enchantments that are directly integrated during the production process.